In Hell I'll Be In Good Company
The following story is NON-CANON, an''' AU,' and is rated '''MODERATE.' Breezepelt has died and gone to the Place Of No Stars. Finally, he realizes that his actions moons ago had consequences, but knows he'd never be allowed in Starclan- he figures all he can do now is try to be kind and humble, everything he wasn't. But when he meets the other cats, he learns they've taken on a more clan-like structure, and are trying to repent. Allegiances See Here Prologue A dark ginger tabby she-cat was frantically looking around, dashing through silver-tinted forest. She paused, spotting two cats on the opposite side of the river. She dashed down, and hopped across nearby stones. The skinny black tom looked over the spotted golden she-cat’s shoulder. “Hello, Reedshine,” he greeted. “Ravenwing,” she muttered, “Have you seen the ‘paws lately?” “...Mapleshade’s?” asked the golden she-cat, hesitantly. Reedshine nodded. “Why ever would you wonder where they are?” “Frecklewish, we can’t blame the kits for their mothers crimes,” though her voice was almost edged in infatuation mentioning their mother. She gulped the emotion down, “And I’m the one who had to convince Riverstar to even let them become warriors, and their mentors for Starclan’s sake!” Frecklewish simply shook her head, “And I think you’re mad for doing so.” Ravenwing simply tilted his head in agreement. Reedshine hissed, “They were just kits!” “Kits of a murderer and a liar,” Ravenwing said simply, returning to his conversation with Frecklewish. Snarling, Reedshine hopped off. At Sunningrocks, she met with Birchface and Flowerpaw- Flowerheart, now. “Mapleshade’s kits?” Birchface repeated, “I think they headed down to the edge of Thunder-Starclan territory.” Flowerheart nodded, “They were with some tawny-and-white spotted cat, I figured it was Seedpelt, but I didn’t catch a very good look.” “You caught them wandering off with an unfamiliar tom and you just… let them go?” Flowerheart shrugged, “They can make their own choices, and they weren’t forcing them.” Reedshine scampered off, and ran far enough so that she was on the border of Starclan and the Place of No Stars. “This will take us to mom?” asked Petalpaw’s high-pitched voice. “Yes,” meowed the tawny tom gruffly, certainly not Seedpelt. Reedshine jumped from the bushes and landed squarely on his shoulders, knocking him down into the shallow starry river. Petalpaw let out an angry yowl. “What do you think you’re doing to them?!” “They decided they wanted to live with their mother,” the tom said, sitting up so freezing water wouldn’t get into his mouth, “I was merely taking them there.” From the black-and-red forest behind him Reedshine could see the shines of his eyes were red as fire. She turned to look at the apprentices. Petalpaw and Larchpaw’s were too, and Patchpaw’s were just pink. “We’re making this decision for ourselves,” Larchpaw mewed, taking first jump on the smooth, silver crossing rocks. “We’re sorry but you can’t change our minds.” he said before jumping the rest of the way across, Petalpaw quickly followed. Patchpaw followed after a regretful glance back at Reedshine. The tom under her flipped over and jumped, splashing starry water in Reedshine’s eyes just long enough for him to run off with the kits. Reedshine couldn't help letting out a yowl of agony, and she could’ve sworn the water under her paws turned dark red with blood. Chapter One “Smokestrike!” Breezepelt lifted his jaws from the white warrior’s neck at the yowl. That was his daughter, and whatever Harestar yowled so angrily must’ve been bad news. Smokestrike yowled back in response, jumping off of a dark tabby. “Attack Breezepelt,” he said gravely, jumping closer to her. “Why?” though her voice was kept in a growl, no melancholy in her voice whatsoever. She then looked over at her father, hissed and got into an attacking crouch before Harestar could say anything. “Smoke… Smoke, please,” Breezepelt mewed pathetically. He hadn’t meant to use the Dark Forest move, but before he realized what he was doing, she was dead. The she-cat was Icewing, a fellow Dark Forest Trainee, her kits were well on the road to being warriors. Smokestrike stalked forward. “Smokestrike, please,” Breezepelt murmured, “Please, I’m sorry! Isn’t my guilt knowing she’ll never see her kits become warriors enough punishment?!” But Smokestrike didn’t answer, just jumped at him and went for his throat. Breezepelt didn’t fight back. He deserved it, he figured. But at the jaws of his own daughter? He couldn’t stand the big lump in his throat. The only bad thing was he couldn’t tell if the lump was his guilt or Smokestrike’s teeth. He closed his eyes and let darkness overcome him. He hoped as hard as he could for Starclan, but he knew he didn’t deserve it. The musky, hot scent that then filled his muzzle told him there was no way he was. He opened his eyes, staring up at ashy-red leaves and pure black starry sky, streak of red cutting through. Starclan watching down on them and the spilled blood of the Great Battle. Breezepelt rolled and stood, wobbling. For awhile he just stood and looked around, not knowing where to go. “Meowdy!” said a voice behind him. Breezepelt jumped, turning. There stood dark tabby tom with his white chest and piercing, icy-blue eyes. Hawkfrost. Breezepelt padded closer, suppressing a purr, “Meowdy?” Hawkfrost nodded, turning around and flicking his tailtip for Breezepelt to follow. “Why are you here!” Breezepelt said with a laugh, “I saw Bramblestar shatter your ghost! Figured you died again!” “Died back to this place and unable to go back to the living world, sure.” Breezepelt looked at him quizzically, “So everycat who's ghost got killed just went back to their afterlife?” Hawkfrost nodded, “What would happen if you got killed a third?” Hawkfrost shrugged, “Any cat who died a second time can't walk down there now, and Starclan has long forbidden us from walking in cats dreams.” “You still do,” Breezepelt sneered, remembering a dream be had with Antpelt a few moons back. “You bet. Starclan cats don't dare walk here, so they can't keep us in line.” “Never could.” Hawkfrost nodded triumphantly. Breezepelt wasn’t sure of what to say. Hawkfrost already seemed so much nicer than he had been during his training. Suddenly, the trees and grass turned into an almost-sickly looking green. The leaves were almost forest colored, just a bit lighter, the trunks were dark, the grass was getting softer and stiffer, the same dusty pale-green as it was in Windclan’s strip of forest. The air almost smelled like a Gathering- all sorts of clan and cat scents mixing together. Hawkfrost ducked into a gorse tunnel. After taking a deep breath, Breezepelt followed. If the sun shone there he figured it would be a more pleasant walk. Hawkfrost stood beside the entrance, sitting, while Breezepelt gaped in amazement. It was a huge clearing, as to be expected with so many cats. Against one rocky wall was a stone, with steps leading up to the top. Breezepelt assumed the leader’s den was sat on a side he couldn’t see. On the wall next to it was a hole, circled in broom bushes. On the other side of camp were two holes, one much bigger than the other, circled in more yellow-flowered bushes. The biggest had ivy tendrils draping down, behind held to either side by rocks. The inside, from what he could see, was made of dirt, covered in mossy beds. A tree sat lopsided on one side, standing far taller than the bramble and holly bushes that surrounded the hollow. Breezepelt could see different-tinted bright eyes from the branches, focused on him. He flicked his ears to the smaller den. It looked more like a tunnel than a den, dipping down into the ground, half-covered by a bush. “What den is that?” “Apprentice.” Breezepelt looked at him quizzically, “As in trainee? I thought you weren’t allowed to train in dreams anymore.” Hawkfrost shook his head, regaining his signature smirk, “No, no. Moons ago two apprentices joined here.” “You didn’t lure them, did you?” He snickered, “No. They were being trained before the clans moved to the lake, and Starclan refused to continue their warrior training since they trained here. We’ve been training them, but they’ve not gotten their warrior names yet.” Then a cat emerged from a den Breezepelt hadn’t seen before, just like the apprentice’s. A dark ginger tom with dull, light blue eyes. “Flame-!” he breathed. He turned to Hawkfrost, more astonished than angry, voice in a low hiss, “How did Flametail get here!” Hawkfrost shook his head, “Got stuck.” “I thought Jayfeather and Spottedleaf brought him back to Starclan!” Hawkfrost nodded, “Then Ashfur stunk into Starclan and brought him back, and he got stuck.” Breezepelt blinked, confused, “H...how? I mean, if a Dark Forest cat can walk in Starclan, why couldn’t he go back?” “He tried,” he nodded grimly, “If a Dark Forest cat stays in Starclan long enough they start fading. And once you fade, you don’t come back. He got stuck here and Starclan considers him a Dark Forest warrior, so he can’t go back.” “Fading….” Breezepelt muttered as Flametail slunk past them into the broom bush den. He looked around in search of Mapleshade or Maggottail. “Do you still fade?” “No. We’re here forever unless we stay in Starclan too long.” Breezepelt chuckled. “Things sure have changed.” Hawkfrost snickered, nodding. Then, from behind the rock, emerged a big, creamy-gold tom. He was too ragged to be Maggottail. He turned to Breezepelt and Hawkfrost, one of his eyes was closed and dripping dark red blood. Breezepelt resisted a shudder. “Let all cats old enough to kill their own enemies gather here!” he rasped. Tons of cats poured into the clearing, many of which Breezepelt didn’t recognize. He caught a glimpse at two pelts, one gray-and-white, the other brown-and-white. Furzepelt and Antpelt. He felt the lump in his throat ease at the thought that Antpelt was still there. Was that Mudclaw? And Hollyleaf? “Hawkfrost,” the tom on the rock called, “You’ve brought a new warrior to join us, I see. Introduce him.” Hawkfrost nodded, skipping forward so that he stood on the first step, “Friends, I’d like to to welcome Breezepelt of Windclan!” “Breezepelt! Breezepelt!” Antpelt rushed out from the crowd, crashing into Breezepelt, knocking him over and purring. “Breezepelt! You featherbrain, how’d you get caught up back here!” “I-I killed Icewing.” “Oh, dung!” “Yeah…” he rolled over and stood back up, “She’s not here, is she?” Antpelt shrugged, “She’s still in Trial, I’d guess. She’s done lots of things.” “Trial?” He snickered, “Oh, Breezepelt, you have so much to learn.” Category:Fan Fictions